Can we Really Support the Troops if we Don’t Support their Mission?
This past week has been filled with activities that have caused me to reflect on this question: can we truly support the troops in Iraq if we don’t support their mission?
I just returned from a “Tiger Cruise” aboard the U. S. S. Nimitz aircraft carrier, along with my older brother, Steve, and my son, Airman Brenton Warr, U. S. Navy. Brent enlisted, at the age of 30, a little over a year ago. Now a member of the famed Black Aces Squadron (VFA-41) of FA/18 Super Hornets, Brent joined the squadron three months ago while they were already engaged in the War on Terrorism in the Persian Gulf. Brother Steve, a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U. S. Army, and I (a Vietnam Veteran of the U. S. Marine Corps) boarded the Nimitz in Pearl Harbor and sailed with them to their home port in San Diego. It was an experience of a lifetime, and one I will never forget.
Filled with pride in my son and his fellow sailors and Marines of Carrier Air Group-11 (all of the aviation units aboard the Nimitz), who have done an excellent job under very difficult conditions, I arrived home in beautiful Hendersonville just in time to attend the Veteran’s Day ceremony at Forest Lawn. The keynote speaker, a retired Air Force Colonel, spoke eloquently about those who have served in the American military over the generations, but he directed his main efforts to speak about the young men and women who are serving in our military today. He stated that those in the military today are terrific young people, that they are doing an outstanding job, and that they richly deserve 100% of our support. I wholeheartedly agree.
Interestingly, it appears that a very high percentage of Americans also agree. A recent poll reported that “98% of Americans say that they support the troops overseas.” At the same time, many of those same people who claim that they support the troops were quick to say that they absolutely don’t support the troops’ mission, especially those fighting the war in Iraq.
A new friend, an amazing American serving in the U. S. Naval Reserve who put his thriving medical practice on hold to go on active duty when Operation Iraqi Freedom was mounting up, served as the Division Surgeon with the 1st Marine Division (my old outfit) during the heavy fighting on the march toward Baghdad. He told me of his “welcome home” when a woman approached him in an east coast airport. She asked him if he was returning home from Iraq. When he answered in the positive, this seemingly nice person bluntly told him that she and her friends felt that what he was doing was horrible and criminal and that he should be put in prison for “fighting George Bush’s illegal war.” Momentarily taken aback, my friend recovered and just said, “That’s okay, lady. It’s obvious to me that you don’t know what you’re talking about,” and walked away. Shades of the Vietnam War chapter of our country’s history.
Some of my closest friends, most of whom are combat veterans of the Vietnam War, have told me firmly that they definitely support those in uniform but they are adamantly opposed to the war. Some of them have studied the situation, and just feel that this is a “war of choice,” not a “war of necessity” and that we shouldn’t be there. Some of them just hate George Bush and everything he does, and they are vehemently against the war. Although these veterans have certainly earned the right to speak their minds, and in this wonderful country of ours we all have the right to say pretty much anything we want to say, I question whether or not they have really heard what they have said when it comes to supporting the troops.
Let’s fall back for a moment, and consider “Communications 101.” One of the most important aspects of effectively communicating with others, whether we are having a simple conversation or we are making an important speech, is to understand your audience. When we communicate with others, when we are trying to make a point, when we are trying to convince those we are speaking to of the wisdom of our viewpoint, it is necessary to understand who they are and where they are coming from. So, you tell me. If I tell you that I like you, but I just loathe what you do, how will you react to that message? Will you feel liked? Will you feel loathed? Or, will you just feel confused?
Confused. That’s how I feel when my veteran buddies make that statement, that they admire the young men and women who serve our country in the military but that they think the war is horrible, or illegal, or just downright wrong. Yes, I’m certainly confused. But, much more importantly, how does Lance Corporal Schmucatelli, a U. S. Marine with his face in the desert sand in the Middle East, feel? If I put myself in his boots, and I answer that question honestly, I think Schmucatelli feels confused, at best, and more likely he feels pretty damned bad. Certainly, there is no way that he feels “supported” by someone who makes that statement.
Those of us who have served in the military, especially those of us who spent any time in combat, know that war is ugly. War is terrible. There is nothing positive that can be said about war. It’s just that sometimes there are things worth fighting for. Those of us back home can debate that issue until we are all blue in the face. But Schmucatelli doesn’t get to engage in that debate, or make those decisions. Schmucatelli enlisted in the service for reasons of his (or her) own, and may have opinions that are either for or against a particular war. It doesn’t really matter. Because when he enlisted, he took an oath. She swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic. He swore to obey the orders of the officers appointed over him. She swore to obey the orders given by the Commander in Chief, the President of the United States.
While others may debate the causes of war and the “righteousness” of a particular war, those who wear the uniform cannot. When they are called, they must simply go; they must do their jobs, they must obey their orders. When called to serve in combat during wartime, they must forget about their own opinions, they must leave behind their natural human desire for comfort and convenience, and in many instances they must willingly enter environments that are terribly dangerous for human beings and they must put themselves in harm’s way. For us. For all of us in this country who have the freedom to think and act however we want, and to say just about anything. Even if it’s ignorant, or just downright stupid. We are free to say that we support the troops, but that we don’t support the war. But, and now I’m speaking to those who really believe that statement, just understand that when you say that, your message, when received by the troops, is garbled. When they hear that statement, they are confused at best, disheartened at worst.
So, if you are against the war in Iraq, you have the freedom to speak your mind, so go right ahead and say it. Please feel free to do so. But if you are talking to a young American in uniform, don’t waste your time by making that stupid statement. You might feel good, but they won’t believe a word you are saying.
Nicholas Warr – November 11, 2005
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